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Chancellor Randy Woodson announced today that the grievance filed by former employee Mary Easley last summer has been dismissed.

Notification of that dismissal was sent to Mrs. Easley last Friday and the university received notification that she has received that notice.

Ten months have transpired from the date the grievance was filed. The grievance was dismissed due to procedural issues. Mrs. Easley failed to respond to the university’s request to schedule a pre-hearing meeting and the grievance hearing itself.

Because this is a personnel matter, the university will have no further comment.

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On Thursday, June 3, North Carolina State University will test its emergency response capabilities with a crisis drill. The planned exercise, involving a computer system failure, will be a tabletop drill and does not include enactments, so it should not affect campus operations.

The university routinely engages in emergency response testing and assessment.  Scenarios typically involve a widespread and imminent threat to campus safety or business continuity.

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North Carolina State University received news Friday that it is part of a team that will receive critical Department of Energy funding to support nuclear energy research.  The team, led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will been named an Energy Innovation Hub on Nuclear Modeling and Simulation.  The Nuclear Energy Innovation Hub, which includes universities, industry and other national labs, will use advanced capabilities of the world’s most powerful computers to “make significant leaps forward in nuclear reactor design and engineering,” according to the DOE.

Here’s the DOE announcement.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designated North Carolina State University a Center of Excellence for Watershed Management, making it the first such center in North Carolina.

The designation will allow NC State, through its Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI), to continue to develop strong partnerships with other institutions, organizations and agencies in efforts to protect and restore watersheds, says Dr. Michael Voiland, director of the institute. WRRI is an inter-institutional center of the University of North Carolina system.

“This designation is made partly in recognition for excellence in research and outreach related to watershed science, but also to raise the potential for NC State and the UNC system to engage in joint research/outreach partnerships, to receive funding support and to be tapped by EPA for special projects,” Voiland says.

Also known as river basins, watersheds are land-surface areas that capture precipitation in lakes, streams, creeks and rivers, Voiland explains. Small watersheds drain to larger watersheds, which ultimately drain to the sea. Watershed management is an important tool in limiting water pollution, and in insuring water supplies for drinking, power, industrial and other uses.

EPA, North Carolina Department of Natural Resources and NC State officials signed a memorandum of understanding to help communities identify watershed problems and find sustainable solutions.

To become a recognized EPA Center of Excellence, an institution must demonstrate technical expertise; conduct watershed research involving students, staff and faculty; possess the range of relevant disciplines; demonstrate financial capacity; build effective partnerships; and garner support from the highest levels of the organization. WRRI has played a central role since the 1960s in helping NC State and the UNC system meet these criteria.

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Veterinarians at North Carolina State University have seen a recent increase in cases of a tick-transmitted infectious disease that, without proper treatment, can be fatal to cats.

The disease, Cytauxzoonosis (pronounced sight-O-zO-un-Osis), is related to malaria and is caused by the parasite Cytauxzoon felis, (C. felis) which is found in ticks carried by host bobcats. The most common symptoms of infection are lack of energy and appetite, usually accompanied by a profound fever. Some cats develop a yellow discoloration of the skin and the whites of the eyes.

According to Dr. Adam Birkenheuer, associate professor of internal medicine at NC State, C. felis was first discovered in Missouri in the mid-1970s and for years was only documented in the south central region of the United States. Prior to the late 1990s, Cytauxzoonosis had never been reported in North Carolina.

“Between 1998 and 2004 we saw a series of 34 cases from North and South Carolina and Virginia,” Birkenheuer says. “When it was first recognized in our region, we might see one case per year in the Veterinary Teaching Hosptial (VTH). Now we see one-to-two cases per week during the peak months (May-July) with many other consults that are not referred. We have already seen three cases in the past two weeks, which is pretty remarkable for an infection that is not ‘supposed to be here.’”

The disease seems to occur in “hotspots” with some households having several cats acquiring the infection. The majority of cases seen at NC State’s VTH have come from Pittsboro, Southern Pines and coastal North Carolina from Morehead City down to the Southport area. These are not the only affected areas, however; cases have also come from other parts of the Triangle including Wake Forest, Rolesville and eastern Raleigh.

“There are a couple of reasons we believe we are seeing this increase in Cytauxzoonosis,” Birkenheuer says. “One is the change in the distribution of the tick species that can transmit the infection to domestic cats. One of the tick species in particular, Amblyomma americanum, has a geographic distribution that is rapidly expanding north and east. The other reason we’re seeing the increase is that some cats survive the infection and can act as a reservoir leading to the infection of more cats.”

Testing for the disease is relatively simple and a veterinarian can usually make the diagnosis by examining a blood smear or cells from infected tissues like lymph nodes, liver or spleen. In some cases, a DNA test can be used to confirm infection.

The best protection against Cytauxzoonosis is to keep cats indoors and use a treatment that is approved to kill ticks on cats (some canine products can be toxic to cats.) The use of anti-tick products alone may not guarantee the prevention of infection. A veterinarian should be consulted immediately if an owner detects any signs of the disease in the pet.

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North Carolina State University’s national search for a new provost has begun with the appointment of a search committee. Margery Overton, chair of the faculty and professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, will be the chair of the committee, which will hold its first meeting May 20.

Other members include:

• Ken Adler, professor of molecular biomedical sciences

• Frank Buckless, department head and professor of accounting

• Steve Carlton, chair, Staff Senate

• Timothy Clapp, director of textiles extension

• Jere Confrey, professor of mathematics, science and technology education

• Hugh Devine, professor of parks, recreation and tourism management

• Amassa Fauntleroy, professor of mathematics

• Kelly M. Hook, student body president

• Ali Kelfeli, president, Graduate Student Association

• Hans Kellner, chair elect, Faculty Senate; professor of English

• Steve Keto, associate vice chancellor for finance and business

• Terri Lomax, vice chancellor for research and graduate studies

• Trudy Mackay, professor of genetics

• Marvin Malecha, dean, College of Design

• Norris Tolson, NC State Board of Trustees, ex officio

The committee will work with an executive search firm to provide the names of three to five finalists to the chancellor, who will make the final selection. The Campus Executive Search Service also will provide support for the committee.

The reporting structures for provost, chancellor and vice chancellor for research will be realigned, effective July 1. The vice chancellor for student affairs and the director of university planning and analysis, currently reporting to the chancellor, will report to the provost. The dean of the Graduate School will report to the provost with a dotted line to the vice chancellor for research and graduate studies.

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North Carolina State University has selected Parker Executive Search from Atlanta, Ga., as the firm to assist in the search for the university’s new athletics director. The firm’s fee is $75,000.

The university has a 13-person nomination committee to begin the work of finding the university’s next athletics director. Smedes York, a former chair of the NC State Board of Trustees, is the committee chair.

The nomination committee’s first meeting is at 10:30 a.m. today  at the Park Alumni Center.

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Today’s computers rely on powerful graphics processing units (GPUs) to create the spectacular graphics in video games. In fact, these GPUs are now more powerful than the traditional central processing units (CPUs) – or brains of the computer. As a result, computer developers are trying to tap into the power of these GPUs. Now a research team from North Carolina State University has developed software that could make it easier for traditional software programs to take advantage of the powerful GPUs, essentially increasing complex computing brainpower. Continue Reading »